Break the Bias

In this episode, we dive into the world of fashion, beauty and inclusion with our guest, Megan Ixim, also known as “Ms. Gigggles”—she is a Marketing Director and the founder of Socially Deviant Media and Plus Size Thrift.

Evolution of the Fashion Industry 

We journey through the shifting sands of beauty standards in America from the Marilyn-Monroe-1950s, to the rise of the Kardashian era, exploring how national economic conditions have sculpted society’s view of the ideal body type. Megan shares her own battles with body image and the harsh realities of 'body privilege’ in healthcare and the workforce. 

Breaking Rigid Beauty Standards

As we move into the broader implications of these beauty norms, we discuss how New Jersey and New York lead the way with new anti-discrimination laws. We’ll also touch upon the growing concern of eating disorders and the essence of self-acceptance.

Championing Diversity and Inclusion

Inspirational and brave, Megan recounts her life's journey and how she became a driven entrepreneur and a vocal fat activist. And our host, Bindu, also shares some of her own personal cultural encounters with beauty standards. Together, they advocate for room-making in leadership for marginalized voices in the fashion industry, grapple with the power of personal branding and the imperative of clothing as empowerment. This episode is a juicy one, so tune in, and share with those who you think may learn something!

This episode features the dynamic Adriana Carrig, founder and CEO of Little Words Project.

Ten years into her business, it's been a beacon of growth and influence, especially after icons like Taylor Swift and Lance Bass featured her bracelets live at the VMA’s. Adriana brings us into her journey of dealing with initial worries that quickly transformed into a burgeoning brand presence, inspiring partnerships, and an adorning celebrity clientele.

We're diving deep into more than business growth, as Adriana courageously leads the charge in shattering the silence around breastfeeding in the workplace and on social media. She recounts her experiences and the importance of supporting women's choices and pushing for a corporate culture of understanding and empathy.

We'll also delve more into workplace equity, civic engagement, and the personal stories that shape us. This episode is truly centered on self-love, resilience, and the power of positivity to transform not just our inner lives but the communities we're part of.

In this episode, we're excited to share a conversation I had with Daisha McDaniel—Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Talent Acquisition Advisor at Activision Blizzard, one of the world’s most successful standalone interactive entertainment and gaming corporations, delighting hundreds of millions of monthly active user with games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Tony Hawke, Candy Crush, and more.  

She shares her story—how her softspoken start in life as a self-described introvert evolved into finding her voice through her passion for DEI, and advocating for a sense of belonging. Tune in to hear her valuable insights on dealing with nerves surrounding public speaking, embarking on difficult conversations, and her unique approach to a respectful, empathetic, and  inclusive workplace.  

Further, she describes how Consciously Unbiased DEIB learning experiences have helped her grow her DEIB efforts at her company and sparked change for the better. To learn more about our custom learning experiences you can check out our page here or send us a note here!

In this episode, we're delighted to have the extraordinary Bea Arthur, a Columbia University-trained psychotherapist, award-winning entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and pioneer in the e-therapy space. As the first African-American female founder accepted by Y Combinator, Bea was named an Entrepreneur to Bet On by Newsweek Magazine and one of the 100 Most Inspirational New Yorkers by Bumble. She is the founder and CEO of The Difference, the first on-demand therapy service for in the moment issues. Bea takes us on a fascinating journey of resilience and transformation, from being a rebellious young person who got kicked out of school, to becoming an influential therapist and founder of a tech company.

She shares candid narratives about her personal struggles, including clashes with authority and her journey towards embracing her blackness. Bea talks about navigating the tech industry as a black woman founder, dealing with VC funding challenges, and her innovative company - The Difference - that offers a unique form of therapy. We'll touch on topics of mental health stigma, the power of human connection, diversity and inclusion, and the importance of laughter as a form of relief. We hope you enjoy the show!

In today's episode, we are privileged to have Dee Poku, the founder, and CEO of The WIE Suite, a marketer, community builder, and communication leader. Dee, who was born in the UK, but raised in London and Ghana, now raises her son in New York. She shares with us how the experience of straddling two different cultures growing up has significantly shaped her work today. Dee discusses the unique challenges women face in business, from feeling insecure as an entrepreneur to dealing with fewer opportunities and a perception of competition. She shares her personal journey and the mindset shift she had to make. From microaggressions in a predominantly white school to facing challenges as a woman of color in the fundraising process, Dee's experiences are undeniably valuable. She emphasizes the importance of women supporting each other in business, the power of personal stories in creating change, and the need to use one's platforms to uplift other women. So buckle up for this inspiring conversation with Dee Poku, whose story will have a profound impact on us all.

Host, Bindu Lokre, sits down with Consciously Unbiased's Director of Marketing & Partnerships, Sara Munjack.

They dive deep into the importance of understanding the "why" behind information, and how it can break biases and foster meaningful conversations. Sara shares her personal journey of questioning their own identity, the challenges of navigating different spaces and opinions, and the complexities of being mixed. They also discuss the impact of social media, the current crisis abroad, and how to respectfully disagree while respecting others. Tune in for an insightful discussion on conscious conversations, tools for productive communication, and the power of taking a pause in research and understanding. Plus, stay tuned for an inspiring poem by Hanif Abdurraqib and the inside scoop on a ground-breaking organization promoting meaningful dialogue, NewGround. So grab your headphones and get ready to break the bias!

Host, Bindu Lokre, sits down with ⁠Reshma Saujani⁠, activist, author and movement builder. Reshma is the CEO and Founder of ⁠Moms First⁠, a national movement to expand choices for women, value mothers’ labor, and to remove barriers to equality. She is also the founder of ⁠Girls Who Code⁠, which aims to close the gender gap in tech. 

Reshma is a powerful mobilizer, and, in this conversation, she shares how being bullied as a child because of the color of her skin was a catalyst for her to find her true calling of fighting for equality for all.

If you’ve ever faced the challenge of having a difficult conversation at work, today’s episode of Breaking the Bias is for you. Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal has a candid conversation with Quinne Teske, Global Director of DEI & Employee Experience at Allegis Global Solutions. The DEI leaders offer invaluable insights on having difficult conversations at work with a focus on empathy. Learn how to navigate workplace polarization, social media misinformation, and empowering quiet voices in meetings.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased co-founder Bindu Lokre sat down in a studio in New York with special guest Aliza Licht, founder of Leave Your Mark and author of the amazing book On Brand: Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception. They dive deep into the world of personal branding and overcoming fears.

They also cover how to keep your job title from becoming your identity, why a career change starts with changing the way you think about yourself, and how identifying and understanding our fears is the first step to breaking through them to help grow your confidence at work.

Get show notes at ConsciouslyUnbiased.com.

We’re shaking things up on this episode of Breaking the Bias by exploring issues surrounding mental health, motherhood and conscious communication. Consciously Unbiased co-founder Bindu Lokre sat down in a studio in New York with Sandrine Marlier, a meditation teacher, Reiki master practitioner, model and author of the new children’s book “Odette’s Alphabet,” a story about handling big emotions.

Bindu and Sandrine keep it real by diving into Sandrine’s journey of the tools she uses to manage her anxiety and how to identify your triggers and create healthy boundaries. Their conversation also covers how Sandrine’s daughter inspired her to write a book about mindfulness for children, and the biggest lessons adults can also take away from the story.

What does it mean to be a white ally? What are microaggressions exactly? What can I do to help create an inclusive culture? To get deeper insights into these questions and more, check out this episode of Breaking the Bias with Mita Mallick, co-host of the Brown Table Talk podcast, author of the upcoming book, Reimagine Inclusion and head of equity, impact and inclusion at Carta. Mita is saying all the quiet parts out loud of what holds us back from building real inclusion at work. Mita’s candid conversation with Holly Corbett, VP of Content for Consciously Unbiased, dives into:

•  How being bullied as a child led to her lifelong search for inclusion.

• The most common myths about inclusion we tell ourselves that stop us from making meaningful progress. 

• How to meet people with kindness and grace when they make mistakes.

Michael Perry, a father of two and the founder and CEO of Maple, an app that helps parents take the stress out of planning and organizing your home, is making it his mission to help normalize caregiving in the workplace for all. The research shows the majority of caregiving duties continue to fall on the shoulders of women. The truth is that a lack of gender equality is not a woman’s problem or a man’s problem; this is everyone’s problem. That’s in part because most men don’t want to live in a world where they have to live up to the always-on ideal worker norm and feel guilty taking paternity leave or going to their child’s game. 

In this episode of the Breaking the Bias podcast, Holly Corbett, VP of Content for Consciously Unbiased, sits down with Michael for a candid conversation that dives into how Michael’s journey to fatherhood changed him, the regrets he had being a leader at Shopify who didn’t consider caregiving duties because he wasn’t yet a parent, and how cis men in heterosexual relationships can help advance gender equality in the home.

It’s 2023, and still only 33% of women are in tech positions—with representation for women in leadership being much lower. In this episode of the Breaking the Bias podcast, Holly Corbett, VP of Content for Consciously Unbiased, speaks with Jill Stelfox, CEO of Panzura—the only woman CEO in data management. Jill stepped into this top leadership position during the pandemic when the company suddenly went remote. 

In this conversation, Jill shares how she successfully navigated pulling her new team together during a crisis and turned the company around, why she encourages her employees to “bring your weird” to work, and why she thinks companies who lack radical transparency are set up to fail.

RELATED:

How Technology Can Help Us Close The Gender Gap At Work

Beyond The Numbers: A DEI Leader On How To Create a More Inclusive Workplace

How To Diversify Your Network, According To A Super Connector

In honor of Women’s History Month and Gender Equality Month, Holly Corbett, VP of Content for Consciously Unbiased, spoke with Nina Simons, author of Nature, Culture, and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership, for this episode of Breaking the Bias.

Nina is also the co-founder of Bioneers, a nonprofit she started with her husband, that focuses on innovative solutions for some of the planet’s biggest social and environmental issues. In this behind-the-scenes interview, Nina talks about her personal journey to embracing her own power and leading from the heart, the history of a time when women were prosecuted in the thousands or even millions for using their voice, and how joy is a bigger motivator than guilt when it comes to advancing equity.

The 34th annual Bioneers conference is happening in Berkeley, CA from April 6 to 8, 2023, and Nina is offering the Consciously Unbiased community a 20% discount on registration by using the code: Nina20. If interested in attending, you can register here.

Did you know the U.S. incarcerates Black people at a nearly five times higher rate than white people?  This is part two in our Breaking the Bias series for Black History Month, where we are highlighting people and organizations who are creating alternatives to incarceration. Today we’re speaking to Brian Stanley, Court Advocate for Avenues for Justice, an organization that’s been around for more than 40 years and that has successfully kept thousands of African American and Hispanic youth and young adults in New York City out of the criminal justice system.

In New York City, it costs about $450,000 to incarcerate a young person for a year, but to put them through Avenues For Justice’s program, it costs about $6,000. Brian Stanley has some fascinating insights about this. In addition to serving as a court advocate, he  also works with youth as  a writing tutor, basketball coach, and art teacher with a focus on hip hop. Here is what he has to say about lowering incarceration rates, and new paths forward.

Our justice system is broken: The U.S. incarcerates more people than any country in the world, in part because other countries do not use prison as a one-size-fits-all solution to crime.

This Black History Month, Breaking the Bias will be highlighting the change agents who are building career paths for the formerly incarcerated, or who are creating alternatives to incarceration, as the U.S. incarcerates Black people at a nearly five times higher rate than white people.

In this conversation, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal sat down with  entrepreneur and CEO of Flikshop, Marcus Bullock, and his mother, Reverend Dr. Sylvia Bullock. They share how Marcus’ personal story of being incarcerated at just 15 years old in an adult prison reflects larger systemic issues related to our justice system, and how daily letters sent to him by his mother paved the way for him to launch Flikshop, an app that connects family members to their incarcerated loved ones.

*You can donate to the Flikshop Angels program here: https://www.flikshop.com/flikshop-angels

As we kick off 2023, many of us may be reflecting on the past year and thinking ahead about how we want to show up and who we want to connect with in the new year. This topic may be especially important, given that research shows that loneliness increased for Americans during the pandemic.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Holly Corbett, VP of Content for Consciously Unbiased,  spoke to Susan McPherson, author of The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Relationships, to find out how we can use technology for good to reverse the growing trend of disconnection, build more meaningful relationships and authentically diversify our networks and overcome similarity bias. Relationship building takes time, but Susan shares practical advice for how we can focus on making connections and expand our networks without feeling overwhelmed.

As we head into 2023 and economists are saying we’re on the verge of a recession, the impact this will have on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives remains to be seen. Yet companies can’t afford to let DEI fall to the bottom of their priority list if they want to remain relevant and survive during an economic downturn and beyond.

In today’s conversation, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal sits down with Christopher Bylone Van Sandwyk, who was named one of this year’s top 15 Diversity Champions by Diversity Global magazine. They cover everything from the privilege Christopher has when he steps into the room as a white man and how he talks to other white men about DEI; why DEI leaders have to be more comfortable with data, and the DEI conversations leaders really need to be having in 2023.

We are almost to 2023, and we’re still having conversations about how to make gender equity happen. In the U.S., women represent 48% of the entry-level workforce; but only 24% of C-suite executives. Men are promoted at a rate of 21% more than women. We still have a gender and racial pay gap and a motherhood penalty.

Yet closing the gender gap is not only the right thing to do; it’s good for the economy and would increase the U.S. GDP by $3.1 trillion.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal sits down with Katica Roy, a gender economist and founder of Pipeline, a company that uses analytics to quantify unconscious bias within an organization. Katica also has an extraordinary story as the daughter of a refugee and immigrant on why she is so passionate about advancing equity.

They cover everything from the difference between equality and equity, how gender equity helps men too, and whether salary transparency policies are truly effective.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal sits down with Chip Conley, founder & CEO of Modern Elder Academy. Just a little about Chip: At age 26, Chip grew a successful boutique hotel company and later became a best-selling author. Then, at 52, he joined AirBnB as the Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, where most of the employees were half his age. Today he is promoting the idea of a “Modern Elder,” with his latest book, Wisdom at Work. He defines an elder as someone who is as curious as they are wise, and is helping to reframe aging as an opportunity for growth.

In this episode, Chip shares how a near-death experience changed the way he lives his life, how his work at AirBnB helped him bridge generational divides, and how to hold on to a beginner mindset in midlife and beyond.

It’s been five years since #MeToo went viral after actress Alyssa Milano tweeted “me too” and encouraged others who had experienced sexual harassment to do the same, though activist Tarana Burke originally coined the phrase “me too” in 2006. The #MeToo movement sparked a societal reckoning as thousands of women’s voices about the sexual violence they’d experienced at the hands of powerful men put a spotlight on gender inequities and power dynamics. No longer silent, this collective of voices resulted in real-world consequences that spread around the world, with heads of companies being fired and public figures being held accountable.

As #MeToo was gaining momentum and the Harvey Weinsten scandal was dominating the news, the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund was launched to offer legal assistance to survivors of harassment and assault.  In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Holly Corbett, VP of Content for Consciously Unbiased, speaks with Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center and co-founder of Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund.

This episode covers:

• How the National Women’s Law Center started the Time’s Up legal Defense Fund as the Harvey Weinstein case broke. Today 6,000 people have gone to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund for help, and they have a network of 400 attorneys.
• What the #MeToo movement means today, and a growing awareness of Black survivors of sexual violence and other people with marginalized identities, and how they see themselves as part of this movement.
• What needs to happen next to help keep fighting sexual harassment in the workplace and protect against retaliation for those who report it.

Women’s Equality Day falls on August 26th, in honor of the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920 that granted some women the right to vote. It reminds us of the importance of how far we’ve come in the fight for equal rights, and how far we still have to go. One prominent woman from history you may not have heard of is Matilda Josyln Gage, whose story did not get as much attention in history books as other suffragists, such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Sally Roesch Wagner, a major historian of the women's suffrage movement, author, and founder of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation, shares her extraordinary story. The conversation covers:

• Who Matilda Joslyn Gage was exactly, what made her so bad ass, and why she was written out of history.
• In what ways Matilda’s vision of equality for all was shaped by the local Native American culture, where women had an equal voice in political leadership for more than 1000 years.
• Parallels between the issues women were fighting for more than a century ago, and the issues we’re still working on today.

The Supreme Court of the United States ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and 50 years of precedent federally protecting women’s right to abortion access happened on June 24, 2022. In this special episode of Breaking the Bias, we share two behind-the-scenes interviews with academics who have been leading the research on the impact of abortion access on women, families, and society that were done at the beginning of June, 2022 before the recent SCOTUS ruling, and Holly Corbett, VP of Content for Consciously Unbiased and Forbes contributor for an article called “How Overturning Roe V. Wade Can Impact The Economy.”

In this episode you’ll hear from Caitlin Myers, professor of economics at Middlebury College and who, along with more than 150 other economists, filed an amicus brief to highlight the impacts of abortion legalization in the U.S. and model what would happen if Roe v. Wade was overturned, as well as Diana Greene Foster, PhD, professor at the University of California San Francisco and lead author of the landmark Turnaway Study, which examines the effects of unwanted pregnancies on women’s lives. Here are some ways that the research illustrates how overturning Roe v. Wade could impact the economy, and society at large.

The last time Daisy Auger-Dominguez was a guest on Breaking the Bias, she shared how she took time off for self reflection with what she called her “year of the heart,” and how the power of a pause not only positively impacts our own lives, but also benefits our organizations. That time away helped her deepen her purpose, and today she is the Chief People Officer at VICE Media Group, and author of the new book, Inclusion Revolution. “All humans, no matter where they come from, want to feel seen, heard, and valued. That is a human need,” says Daisy.

In this episode, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal  (virtually) sits down with Daisy to talk about her personal journey, how to find joy and belonging at work, and ways each and every one of us can use our voice to build inclusion.

Having lived and worked in different countries, Vaishali Shah, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Randstad Sourceright, was exposed to many ways of living.  It was these experiences that led her to realize the need to recognize the strengths that our differences can make within organizations. Her personal experiences inspired her to pursue diversity and inclusion as her full-time job.

“I've often seen myself as being a little bit different from the people around me. I've been fortunate to find, to create, and to thrive in the opportunities that enabled me to add value—not in spite of being different, but because of being different in my experiences, my background, the way I think, or the way I solve problems. I realized that this isn't the case for a lot of people, and there's a lot that we can do with our own experiences. I wanted to do something about it.”

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal  (virtually) sits down with Vaishali, to talk about her journey and her passion for diversity and inclusion. They cover:

• Why diversity should not be only a metric—and how to track the impact that DEI initiatives have on people
• The benefits of normalizing mental health at work
• How to better listen to employees during The Great Resignation and beyond, and much more.

The ongoing pandemic and social unrest in the aftermath of George Floyd sparked a greater emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training within organizations. As the demand for DEI trainers continues to rise, many lack a clear path for making progress and must learn on their own without clear guidelines. Maria Morukian, President of MSM Global Consulting,  authored the new book Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Trainers: Fostering DEI in the Workplace, to create a guide for trainers to develop the skills needed to deliver sustainable change and unpack their own biases.

For Maria, DEI is personal and is largely influenced by her upbringing as a first-generation American: Maria’s father, Val Morukian, had a bi-cultural identity. He was an Armenian whose family fled Istanbul during the Armenian diaspora and he was born in Cuba to a single mother of three. Maria opens her book by sharing how her father embodied the old adage, ‘looks can be deceiving.’

“I would say people looked at my dad as this small in stature, older, hard-of-hearing guy with kind of a funny accent who always looked a little disheveled and like he was lost,” says Maria.“But the truth was that he had had this incredible life and so many rich and sometimes hard- to-imagine stories…looking at what was on the surface, if people just saw him or knew this one little bit of the story, they would never know all of the richness that was underneath.”

As a young man, her father was enlisted in the U.S. Army, during which he was shot in the line of duty. Val was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for saving members of his battalion. He went to college after the army and became a Detroit public school teacher for nearly 40 years, and at various times was a bartender, a carni, and even a security guard for Jimmy Hoffa.  Maria’s father’s life inspired her to become a diversity trainer and educator.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal (virtually) sits down with Maria, to talk about her journey and the power that DEI training, when done right, can have in the workplace. They cover:

• Why blame and shame aren’t effective for creating change—and what is
• How to encourage people to look at the world from others’ perspectives
• The most essential skills diversity, equity and inclusion trainers should have in order to make a real impact
• The next frontier of DEI training in the workplace, and much more.

Pursuing creativity by doing things you love and sharing them with the world is not optional, but actually critical for your mental health, happiness, and overall productivity. In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Holly Corbett, VP of Content for Consciously Unbiased, has Eve Rodsky back on the show. Eve is a Harvard-trained lawyer, author of the best-selling book Fair Play and also author of the newly-released book Find Your Unicorn Space.

Eve has spent a decade interviewing thousands of people on the gender division of labor in the household, and unpacking the final wave of feminism: gender equality in the home. With her latest book, Find Your Unicorn Space, Eve shares a framework for why making time for creativity is essential for reconnecting with your joy, fighting burnout, and creating more meaning in our lives.

This episode is for women, men, nonbinary folks—everyone. Eve’s framework for tapping into your curiosity to find clues about what fuels your happiness can create a ripple effect in our homes, workplaces, and communities. In this conversation, Holly and Eve dive into what unicorn space is exactly—and what it isn’t; how women can reclaim permission to be unavailable from their roles and take uninterrupted time for creative pursuits; and much more.

Due to a series of economic downturns, gender-based social norms and the cracked-yet-not-broken glass ceiling, women of Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) are sometimes referred to as the “sandwich generation.”

Gen X women are more likely to be working full time and to be a caregiver for children or aging parents—or both. According to the AARP’s Public Policy Institute, by the year 2030, the ratio of people needing care to possible caregivers will be 4-to-1 and by 2050, it will be 3-to-1. This caregiving crisis could have a great effect on both the millennial and Gen Z generation as well. As career and caregiving duties collide for many—especially during the ongoing pandemic—workplaces will need to adapt to better accommodate caregivers.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased Director of Content Holly Corbertt (virtually) sits down with Jackie Ghedine and Mimi Bishop, co-founders of The Resting Mind, a company that coaches high-achieving, 40+ women who want greater success and more money in their career or their business. They dive into how women and professionals of all intersections can better navigate through the corporate world and be their most authentic selves, all while getting paid what they are worth.  The conversation also covers:

• How to change subconscious beliefs and habits to optimize your outcome.
• Why working hard does not automatically mean success—and what does.
• How to recognize what feels right for you intuitively, and what an energy misalignment looks like.
• How Gen X women can combat ageism, and much more.

It’s no secret that our country, and therefore, our workforce is diversifying. By 2045, our country will have no racial majority according to the 2020 census.

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are key for creating workplace cultures that celebrate differences, embrace commonalities and allow all voices to be heard. In order to be successful, DEI shouldn’t focus only on full-time employees, but your entire workforce. The contingent workforce includes contractors and freelancers and currently makes up 40% of today’s total workforce. Yet, the contingent workforce is often treated as second class, or an afterthought in the company’s position-hierarchy. With 62% of enterprises perceiving contingent labor as a vital component to their total workforce, there is no time like the present  to focus DEI efforts on the contingent workforce.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal (virtually) sits down with Brian Hoffmeyer and Elijah Bradshaw, two executives at Beeline, a tech platform that connects businesses to talent in the global extended workforce. They dive into how companies have the power to move the needle on equality, the impact of the pandemic on the gig economy, how companies can create safe spaces for inclusion for all employees—not just some, and why we’re in the middle of a workplace revolution as well as how to adapt.

Listen to the full conversation here,

The Dalai Lama, one of the most respectable Buddhist preachers, stated, “Individual acts of compassion and kindness have the power to spread harmony in the entire world.” Studies support that acts of compassion—such as expressing elements of empathy, love, and care to ease the concerns of others and sharing in their suffering—benefits us in both our professional and personal lives.

Positive social interactions among workers are more likely to occur in workplaces that promote compassion. It has been shown that  positive social interactions are good for employee health, for instance, by lowering your heart rate and blood pressure, and strengthening the immune system. The research also suggests that compassion is an essential aspect of a productive work environment, since employees experience reduced stress and more job satisfaction. Additionally, workplace compassion encourages more loyalty, dedication, and employee engagement.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal (virtually) sits down with Misty Huckabey, CEO & Founder of Capacity 2 Care and Consciously Unbiased facilitator, for an unplugged conversation about the link between mindfulness and compassion, and the role this link plays in the human brain and the work environment. Misty also shares some mindfulness practices that we can do to cultivate compassion so that we can be there for others, simply by ‘spreading ripples of kindness.’

Although the people with disabilities comprise the largest minority community in the world (1 in 4 U.S. adults live with a disability), it remains one of the most underrepresented and underserved communities. In fact, according to a report funded by the Ford Foundation, people with disabilities are greatly lacking in representation both on screen and behind the camera. Only 2.7 percent of characters in the 100 highest-earning movies of 2016 were depicted with a disability, and among regular characters on primetime TV in the 2018-2019 season, only 2.1 percent had disabilities.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal (virtually) sits down with Keely Cat-Wells, Founder & CEO of C Talent and Born This Way Foundation (BTWF) Advisory Board Member, for an unplugged conversation about the powerful role the media can play in positively representing, educating, and amplifying the voices of disabled people. Keely also shares how we can build belonging for people with disabilities by recognizing the diversity of their lived experiences, and addressing the current legal and systemic frameworks that contribute to a lack of disability representation and accessibility.

If there is one thing that we all have in common, it’s that we are all aging. For women, aging may be accompanied by grief or a loss of identity because women’s value in our culture has for too long been tied to youth and fertility. Other natural life phases that may coincide with aging for women is the still-taboo topic of menopause, whose symptoms may be either ignored or doubted—contributing to shame and stigma. (Menopause can also be triggered by a variety of other factors separate from age, from chemotherapy to gender transitions). Additionally, communities of color are not only faced with a racial disparity in access to health coverage and health outcomes, but may also reach menopause earlier and may experience more intense symptoms as compared to white women.

So how can we address the societal systemic issues concerning aging and menopause for all women, not just white women?

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Kiran Rai, co-founder and creative director for Consciously Unbiased, (virtually) sits down with  Stacy London, the former TV co-host of “What Not To Wear” and now the CEO of State of Menopause, for an unplugged conversation about why we, as a society, need to change the narrative around placing so much of women's value on youth and fertility. Stacy also offers insights about how women in middle age and beyond can step into their wisdom and power, and reframe this life stage as an opportunity for a rebirth.

The gig economy has continued to pick up speed during the pandemic, growing 33% in the last year. This is a continuation of a trend we’ve seen over the past few years, where there has been a growing number of contingent workers (temporary workers who work on a contract or project basis or any worker who is not employed in a traditional full-time role). According to a U.S. Census Bureau report, there are roughly 5.9 million contingent workers and they represent nearly 4% of U.S. employment.

Feeling valued for your efforts and contributions at work has been shown to boost engagement and productivity and lead to a more positive workplace culture. When an individual is part of the contingent workforce, it’s harder for leaders to make them feel a part of their full-time employee group. So how can leaders ensure that all of their workers feel valued, engaged, and included and not just some?

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal (virtually) sits down with Rebecca Perrault, a TEDx speaker and Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion leader at PRO Unlimited, for an unplugged conversation about how important it is for business leaders to build a sense of inclusion and belonging for all, especially for contingent workers; and why advancing diversity & inclusion for this segment of workers is beneficial for workplace culture overall. Rebecca also shares how leaders can better address their biases and measure diversity at the macro level in order to make a positive social impact and create meaningful change.

The Pride movement has raised visibility for humans' right to love and identify in a way that is authentic with who they are. In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal (virtually) sits down with Wen Stenger, an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant, for an unplugged conversation about Wen’s journey of coming out in her 40s as the mom of three boys, and how growing up in a Christian family in the South influenced the way she raised her children.

They also cover the difference between gender identity and sexuality; the intersectionality of the Pride movement; and how LGBTQ+ peoples’ race, religion, and family upbringing may act as barriers for finding acceptance and reaching equality.

National Loving Day happens on June 12, and celebrates the anniversary of the historic 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving vs. Virginia. This was the ruling that struck down all state laws against interracial marriage in the United States. Until that time, it remained illegal for one person to marry another person if they were of a different race in 17 States across America.

Today multiracial Americans are growing at a rate of three times faster than the population as a whole, according to the Pew Research Center.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Holly Corbett, director of Content for Consciously Unbiased, spoke to some multiracial Americans on their experiences of growing up “mixed,” and their hopes for the next generation.  What you’ll hear is a snapshot of a personal story, and, while not representative of all people of mixed race backgrounds as each person's story is unique, is a small collection of first-person accounts of growing up multiracial in America. The stories you’ll hear include:

• One woman on her experiences growing up in South Carolina with parents in an interracial marriage.

• A mixed race, Native American founder, who shares how she learned to deny her heritage as a child, and her journey to finally embracing it.

• An African Filipino American man on digging into the history of who you are.

• A mother of two and Chinese-German first generation American on her hopes for her children as we’ve seen a rise in anti-Asian discrimination during Covid.

During the pandemic, we have seen more of what our co-workers need to balance their home responsibilities in addition to their work responsibilities. Families across the country are facing a childcare crisis, but parents/guardians of color, especially mothers of color, have been grappling with the lack of affordable child care and lack of support for working families. In fact, Black (71%) and Latina (41%) mothers work at higher rates than white mothers. Additionally, mothers of color are more likely to be the primary economic supporters for their families than white mothers, and disproportionately work in low-wage jobs with nonstandard hours and inconsistent schedules, which make it challenging for them to stay in the workforce.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Holly Corbett, Director of Content for Consciously Unbiased (virtually) sits down with Tet Salva, founder of MomWarrior, for a unplugged conversation about why we need to implement policies that allow more opportunity, access, and mentorship to caregivers of color. Tet uses her voice as a woman of color, an immigrant, and a mother of four to amplify other caregivers of all life stages in the workplace, and offers advice on how leaders can step in to ensure that all employees can thrive at work and at home.

In these polarizing times, communicating with others who hold opposing views can be a challenge. Yet, we can engage others with more mutual understanding and respect if we develop our openness- a willingness to listen, receive feedback, and look for commonalities in opposing viewpoints. Being more open-minded is important, especially at work, because it helps us improve our interpersonal skills. Studies have also shown that this dimension of emotional intelligence allows us to be focused, innovative, and enhances our working memory.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal (virtually) sits down with Eric Bailey, author of The Cure for Stupidity: Using Brain Science to Explain Irrational Behavior at Work and President of Bailey Strategic Innovation Group, for an unplugged conversation about how we can develop our openness and follow principles that are rooted in psychology and neuroscience to help us communicate, lead, and collaborate more effectively. Eric also informs us that once we educate ourselves about why we express certain feelings when we have disagreements, we will be able to engage with others with more empathy and impact.

If there is anything the pandemic has shown us all, it is that life can be demanding and change is inevitable. However, there is a way we can navigate with more resilience and less pressure. By improving our mindfulness, we can reduce our stress and become more focused. Most importantly, practicing mindfulness allows us to pay closer attention to our emotions and thoughts so that we can see them more clearly without making so many assumptions and judgements.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal (virtually) sits down with Clif Smith, author of Mindfulness Without the Bells and Beads, for an unplugged conversation about mindfulness and how the practice can help us build stronger and healthier relationships, help us handle complex or rapidly-changing situations, and promote more inclusive workplaces. Clif also informs us about the relationship between mindfulness and meditation and specific techniques for practicing both.

Their conversation covers:

• Learning how to focus our attention on the present moment
  
• Becoming aware of our negative thoughts and judgements so that we can continue to strive for our goals
  
• Breaking down the common misconceptions about mindfulness, and much more
  

Our social networks give us a special power, especially when it comes to professional advancement. A Harvard Business Review study reveals that people of all sexes and genders benefit from having a close inner circle composed of supportive and successful people. But, the research also shows that women are more likely to reach the highest levels of leadership and pay in their professions if they surround themselves with an inner circle of female contacts.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal (virtually) sits down with Shelley Zalis, CEO of The Female Quotient, for an unplugged conversation about bringing more diversity to the table by building our courage to speak up and speak out together, because that is how we can make a real impact. Shelley also offers advice to women who are rising up in traditionally male-dominated industries by emphasizing the strength in collectively using their differences to break down the barriers to gender equality.

In this conversation, they dig into:

• Why women who support other women are more successful and the power of the pack
  
• How to be courageous in the workplace by standing up and standing out
  
• Embracing who we are by owning our differences and imperfections
  
• Why we need to remove the term “work-life balance” from our lexicon
  
• How to close the gender pay gap, and much more.
  

On this episode of “Breaking the Bias,” Ashish Kaushal, founder of Consciously Unbiased, has an unplugged conversation with Tayo Rockson, CEO of UYD Management and author of Use Your Difference to Make a Difference. Tayo shares his idea of the art of diplomacy by highlighting the need for improving our cross-cultural competency and self-awareness in our professional/personal lives so that there is a greater sense of inclusion, belonging, and acceptance.

Their conversation covers:

• Ways to connect with people who may be different from yourself
  
• How to identify our biases, triggers and values
  
• How to name our five core values
  
• The importance of living an intentional life, and much more.

Self awareness is the practice of knowing yourself. The research consistently shows that people who master self awareness are more creative, build stronger relationships, and are more effective leaders and communicators. It’s also good for business: Companies with strong financial performance tend to have employees with higher levels of self-awareness than poorly performing companies, according to Korn Ferry International.

So how can we improve our self-awareness so that we are able to build stronger relationships and become more productive at home and at work?

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal (virtually) sits down with Dr. Lanail Plummer, CEO of Onyx Therapy Group, for an unplugged conversation about how self-awareness is an essential skill for building your EQ, and contributes to building more inclusive workplace environments. Dr. Plummer also offers insight into better managing mental health during the pandemic and why we need to reframe productivity.

Are we going backwards on gender equality in the Covid economy? Four times as many women as men dropped out of the labor force during the pandemic, which is roughly 865,000 women, compared with 216,000 men. In fact, one in four women are considering downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce due to COVID-19. Years of gradual advancement of gender equality and gender diversity in the workplace may be at risk as the pandemic continues to push women out of the workforce.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Holly Corbett, the Director of Content for Consciously Unbiased, (virtually) sits down with Reshma Saujani, CEO of Girls Who Code, and author of Brave, Not Perfect. Reshma proposed the solution that we should treat mothers as essential workers and pay them for their labor in an open letter in the New York Times, calling on the Biden Administration to build a task force dedicated to creating a "Marshall Plan for Moms." The letter was signed by 50 women, including Tarana Burke, Eva Longoria, Amy Schumer, and Whitney Wolfe Herd.

Reshma shares some reasons why women are leaving work at higher rates than men, as well as a solution for bringing women back to work. 

It’s 2020, and the majority of caregiving duties continue to land on women’s shoulders. This is being magnified during the pandemic, and we may be going backwards when it comes to gender equality. Out of the 1.1 million people who left the workforce in September, roughly 865,000 were women. Latinas and Black women are leaving at higher rates than white women.

How can we help ensure a generation of women don’t make a mass exodus from the workforce? In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Holly Corbett, the Director of Content for Consciously Unbiased, (virtually) sits down with Eve Rodsky, Harvard-trained lawyer, founder of the Philanthropy Advisory Group, and author of Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have To Much To Do (And More Life to Live).

Eve is working to change society one marriage at a time by coming up with a new 21st-century solution to an age-old problem: women bearing the brunt of child rearing and domestic life responsibilities, regardless of whether they work outside the home. They discuss what inspired Eve to do this work, why the home is ground zero for creating the culture shift needed to advance gender equality, how to frame tough conversations with your partner, and much more.

Over the last few months, the world has changed, and with it there has been an even greater realization that diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts are important for all workers, not just some. To help companies achieve their diversity and inclusions goals across their entire workforce, both for full time employees and contingent workers, we’ve released a new report, "The Future of Diversity & Inclusion in the Contingent Workforce," from HireTalent & Consciously Unbiased, powered by SIA.

In the survey, nearly two-thirds (64%) of HR, procurement and other workforce professionals surveyed believe D&I efforts for their employed workforce are a priority, while only a quarter (26%) believe so for contingent. Meanwhile, given the current cultural shift due to recent social unrest, 63% of respondents expect contingent D&I to become a higher priority in the future.

On this episode of “Breaking the Bias,” Ashish Kaushal, founder, Consciously Unbiased, have an unplugged conversation with the researchers behind the report, Terri Gallagher, President/CEO, Gallagher and Consultants, and John Schroeder, Principal, Nova Foresight, to hear their lessons learned during the research.

When workplaces are inclusive for all people, everyone wins. It was recently the 75th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which celebrates workers with disabilities and highlights the importance of inclusive hiring practices. It has also been 30 years since the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination for people with disabilities.

Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal spoke to Zakiya Mabery, CEO of B. Global Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Planning and author of The Complete Guide to Diversity and Inclusion in the age of Covid-19, for an unplugged conversation about how Zakiya has been impacted by intersectionality as a Black woman with multiple disabilities. They also discussed why you have to be your own best advocate and never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, what companies can do to better support employees with disabilities, and much more.

There is strength in vulnerability. Many men in our culture have been taught to associate showing emotions with being weak. For example, more than one-third of boys think society expects them to be strong and tough, “be a man,” and “suck it up,” according to a survey by Plan International USA. It’s time to change that.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal sits down with Pervis Taylor, award-winning life coach, & author of “Surthrival Mode” for an unplugged conversation about the need to redefine masculinity and finding strength in vulnerability; normalizing mental health in the workplace; why leaders who act with empathy will have more productive employees, and much more.

In this episode of the Breaking the Bias podcast, Consciously Unbiased founder Ashish Kaushal sat down with Virginia “Ginny” Clarke,  Director, Leadership Staffing at Google & author of “Career Mapping,” to find the answer to this question.

Ginny has been a college recruiter, executive recruiter and a woman who broke through to the executive ranks in two male-dominated industries. In this unplugged conversation, they touch upon everything from what needs to happen when hiring to help build true equity; why it’s okay if your career path is not linear; how to overcome imposter syndrome; how to talk about race in the workplace, and much more.

June is Pride Month. A catalyst for the LGBTQIA+ Rights Movement happened on June 28, 1969 when police raided a gay bar in New York City, sparking the Stone Wall Riots that were largely led by LGBTQIA+ people of color. That incident ignited protests around the country in the push for equal rights.

Today in 2020 protests are again sweeping the nation, prompted by the death of George Floyd and others, and accelerating the Black Lives Matter Movement. The intersectionality of the Black Lives Matter Movement and the LGBTQIA+ Rights Movement is as clear now as ever.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, you’ll hear from a number of voices on what Pride Month means to them personally, and why we must continue the fight for equality for all.

The voices you’ll hear include:

• A gay Boomer on how he benefited from white privilege by not coming out until later in life

• A Brooklyn-raised, Costa Rican immigrant and LGBTQ educator on why there are so many letters

• A Black, gay, non-binary Broadway actor on how we can all be activists

• A millienial on leaving his dream job after speaking up for a transgendered employee

• But first, we will hear from the mother of two gay sons on her hopes for their future. Here are their stories.

We’re in the middle of a pandemic and a recession, and women and people of color may be among the hardest hit. In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Holly Corbett, Director of Content at Consciously Unbiased, speaks to Jennifer Streaks, financial commentator, news personality and personal finance contributor for CNBC.

Jennifer shares candid advice on the money moves we should all be making during this unprecedented time; how the wealth gap is widening even more between whites and people of color; why she thinks reopening businesses right now is a big mistake, and much more.

Biases surrounding gender inequality are being pushed to the forefront amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As employees work from home and may have to manage domestic and work responsibilities, or grapple with isolation or illnesses, leaders are being called to reexamine how they practice inclusion.

In this episode of Breaking the Bias, Holly Corbett, Director of Content at Consciously Unbiased, interviews Michelle Penelope King, gender equality expert, Director of Inclusion at Netflix and author of The Fix: Overcome the Invisible Barriers That Are Holding Women Back at Work. Michelle shares how the coronavirus has forced us to confront the many ways in which the workplace does not value differences and the many ways we don’t see the whole person.

Michelle sheds a light on the invisible barriers that women face and how, for many women, their work environment is hardwired to overlook them. Michelle also describes her realization that men in the workplace are also held back by inequality, and she offers real-world tips on how companies can create work environments that work for everyone.